Carbolite Gero helps re-create the planets

Five high-temperature Carbolite Gero furnaces are being used by the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford to carry out leading-edge experiments designed to increase understanding of the Earth’s interior and the process of planetary formation.

Since the Earth’s mantle and core are not directly accessible, the experimental petrology group in the department is working to determine the physical and chemical behaviour of rocks and their constituents so that the data can be applied to complex natural systems.  Researchers are principally working with synthetic basalts, either terrestrial or Martian types, which they form from various pure oxides and metals and then subject to specific conditions, including temperatures, pressures and chemical environments.

Using the Carbolite Gero HTRV furnaces, single samples or multiple compositions are subjected to temperatures from 1300ºC to 1550ºC for various durations from several hours to several days at pre-programmed sequences.  CO, CO2  and SO2 are used in order to control the atmosphere for the material, and some experiments use a vacuum.

The furnace chambers consist of 70mm-diameter vertical tubes with a heated length of 250mm and surrounded by high-grade insulation materials to assist rapid heating rates and ensure low energy consumption.   Molybdenum disilicide elements are positioned vertically around the chambers to provide even heating and can be easily accessed for replacement.  In the presence of oxygen the elements develop an oxide layer that protects them from corrosion.  www.carbolite-gero.com